$250,000 Guaranteed
Day 1a Completed
2016 iNinja World Championship at Planet Hollywood
$250,000 Guaranteed
Day: 1ab
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2016 iNinja World Championship at Planet Hollywood
Buy-in
$400
Entries
1,140
Level
36
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
50,000
Lushin Bags Day 1a/b Lead at Planet Hollywood as 72 Advance
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 500 ante
The inaugural iNinja World Championship, held at Planet Hollywood, drew 420 runners over its opening two flights, held Monday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Both flights reached their hard stops at 17 percent of the field remaining, and when the dust settled, it was Matt Lushin who put 439,000 in a bag, good for the chip lead among the 72 survivors.
Lushin has $189,874 in cashes and can usually be found at a variety of tournaments in the Midwest. His best result is a win for $52,000 in a Chicago Poker Classic event from 2015.
One major pot that helped propel Lushin to the top came during Level 10 (500/1,000/100), when Lushin and Ben McCoy built a pot of about 40,000 preflop and the 
hit the felt. Lushin got his last 16,300 in with the 
and was able to fade the outs of McCoy, who had 
.
Other players making it through included Jeremy Kerbel (418,500), Jason Smith (223,500), Michael Sanders (190,000), Ryan Phan (160,500), iNinja Pro and World Series of Poker bracelet winner John Reading (160,500), and Jose Montes (86,500).
Players eliminated on at least one bullet during the two flights included Matt Alexander, Lance Harris, Kou Vang, Joe Barnard, Aaron Johnson, Vlad Revniaga, and Emad Alabsi.
Two more Day 1 flights are scheduled for Tuesday, and PokerNews will be back on hand for more coverage.
End of Day 1a/b Counts (full)
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
439,000 | |
|
|
418,500 | -3,500 |
|
|
301,000 | 301,000 |
|
281,000 | 281,000 |
|
|
239,500 | |
|
|
224,500 | |
|
223,500 | 37,500 |
|
214,000 | 214,000 |
|
|
212,500 | |
|
|
211,000 | |
|
205,500 | |
|
202,500 | 202,500 |
|
|
200,000 | |
|
|
196,500 | 196,500 |
|
|
192,000 | 192,000 |
|
190,000 | 20,000 |
|
185,500 | 185,500 |
|
171,500 | |
|
168,000 | 168,000 |
|
160,500 | 5,500 |
|
157,500 | -24,500 |
|
|
157,000 | 157,000 |
|
142,000 | |
|
|
141,000 | 141,000 |
|
|
141,000 | 141,000 |
Levy Busted
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 500 ante
Daniel Levy pushed all in from early position for just under 32,000, and action folded to the big blind, who snapped with 
. Levy had 
and needed a lot of help, but the 
was the opposite as it gave his opponent a set. The 
turn ended things.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Another for Taylor
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 500 ante
A player on the button shoved all in for 41,300, and Sam Taylor thought a bit and called from the big blind.
Taylor: 
Button: 
The flop came 
, clean for Taylor's opponent, but a turn sent the pot to Taylor.
At the same table, Jeremy Kerbel appears to be the chip leader.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
422,000 | |
|
|
182,000 | 52,000 |
Reading Springs the Trap
Level 15
: 1,500/3,000, 500 ante
A player opened to 7,500 in middle position and got a call from John Reading on his left. The big blind made it 21,000, chasing away the opener. Reading was slower to concede, and after thinking a bit, the World Series of Poker bracelet winner shoved all in for about 115,000. His opponent thought about a minute and mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
146,000 | 86,000 |
Level: 16
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 500
Taylor Gets There to Bust Kulkay
Level 15
: 1,500/3,000, 500 ante
Sam Taylor opened to 6,800 in early position, and Jon Kulkay shipped it for 41,100 more in the cutoff. Taylor thought about 30 seconds and called.
Kulkay: 
Taylor: 
The dealer spread a flop of 
, improving Taylor with a straight draw. The turn was a blank but the river gave Taylor a Broadway straight for the win.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
130,000 | |
|
Busted |
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 500
Phan Wakes Up With Jacks
Level 14
: 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
A player on the button made it 5,200, and the small blind shipped for about 46,000. Big blind Ryan Phan got counts of everyone's stack, and he opted to call. The opener folded. Phan expressed disappointment that he wasn't getting three-way action, tabling 
. The small blind had 
, and the flop was 
, leaving the small blind mute after he initially called for a deuce.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
155,000 | 68,600 |